Introducing BraveWave

The mighty Amazon River is arguably the longest river on earth, measuring 4,000 miles long and 50 miles at its widest point. It is the undisputable champion when it comes to delivering fresh water, accounting for 20% of the world’s total river flow. Every second the Amazon discharges enough water to fill the AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys) 14 times.

Once a year during the dry season in Brazil, the earth, sun and moon align such that a curious phenomenon occurs on the Amazon. A twelve-foot wave forms at the mouth of the river and actually travels upstream, reaching as far as 500 miles inland. The locals call the wave a pororoca, which means “great roar” in the indigenous Tupi language.

The pororoca is the inspiration for BraveWave, the new company I recently founded. At BraveWave, we want to shift the tide of market forces. Capitalism is a powerful force that has lifted millions out of poverty, yet it can leave significant collateral damage in its wake. The free market rewards actors that create value as well as those that extract value. It seeks to maximize efficiency at all costs and ultimately creates large imbalances in rewards.

At BraveWave, we model a new business reality, one that is purposeful and values-oriented. We reimagine the purpose of business as an opportunity for restoration and human flourishing. BraveWave Insights discovers and disseminates the secrets of values-based organizations. BraveWave Consulting unleashes the potential of values-based organizations. BraveWave Ventures (future business unit) will launch scalable values-based companies from scratch.

Our approach to values-based business centers around four main areas: foundations, strategy, talent and culture.

Foundations – Most companies know what they do but very few know why they do what they do. We help organizations to strengthen their foundation by crafting a purposeful vision, mission, business model and values. While many companies have some kind of mission statement collecting dust in a cheap frame on the wall, few actually have a mission that breathes life into the organization.

Strategy – Most “strategy” is long range planning in disguise. Values-based strategy accomplishes purpose by defining activities and shifting position in response to a changing environment. It connects an organization’s values with its purpose.

Talent – At its most basic form, any organization is simply a collection of people. Given that most companies hire for skillset but ignore the importance of like-minded passions and values, it is often difficult for business leaders to move forward because employees are pulling the organization in different directions. We help organizations to become people-centric, embracing the unique design of each team member.

Culture – Culture happens whether or not you intentionally create it. We analyze the existing culture of companies and help to craft a more values-based culture that knits the organization together.

Shifting the tide of market forces is a big vision, but one that is possible if enough business leaders recognize the limitations of capitalism and embrace a new way of doing business. By no means have we figured out all the answers but we look forward to walking alongside you on this journey. Please share with us your revelations in the trenches and we will continue to publish our own findings. Let us know if we can help you in your own business journey.